Belt buckle



A. H. METCALF. BELT BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.24, I922.

1 429 1 5 Patented Sept. 12, 1922 Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

g mm s 1 I ALPHA EYMETCALRLOF '.LTTLEBORQ, A SACHUSETT ass're von T ."A.um'.ma 00,0: A r'r EBono, MassAcncsEr'rs." f

BELT BUCKLE.

.Application filed January 24, 1922. Serial No. 531,385: 7

To all whom it ma j concern 6 Be it known that I, ALPHA H. Mn'rcanr, a

citizen of the United States, residing at, At

. tleboro, in. the. county-of- Bristol and State .of. lilassachusetts, have invented certain new and .useful' Improvements in Belt Buckles, ofQwhich. the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to buckles for belts and similar articles, and has for its object to provide sucha buckle with a body portion comprising a front plate with side flanges and against the inner face of this front plate is adjustably secured one end of thebelt, its

opposite end being secured to a spring frame member adapted to releasably engage the side flanges whereby this end of the belt may be quickly released from the buckle body without changing the adjusted length of the belt.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the.

appended claim. p

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the rear of the buckle, showing one end as being bound in the body of the buckle while the other end is attached to the bar or bail of a releasable frame member.

Figure 2 is a central sectional edge view. of my buckle, showing the belt ends as secured thereto.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the body of the buckle with the belt retaining members removed." 1

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the resilient detachable frame member towhich one end of the beltis ermanently secured.

Figure 5 is a view 0 the under side of a buckle having rounding side edges and showing portions of the inturned edges of :a0complished: v

of one means by this be .With referenceto the essentially a' front plate; llbhaving int'urned edge -flanges;l2.. i a

The edges 13 of" these fl angesiare'f erabl turned inwardly to provide agu-jide v v drawings; desig-l nates the body of :abucklewhich comprises fort e belt and these vflanges are provided I e near one end with openings or notches 14 .to be engaged by theframe'presentl described. At the opposite end of this buck leof the flanges are turned inwardly 'orming ortions pivot ears lo inwhich opposite ends of "a clamp 16-are, pivoted :for gripping the belt portion 17 against the inner face of the front plate to hold the belt firmly in any adjusted position.

In order to releasably securethe opposite end of the belt to the buckle body Ihave provided a substantially U-shaped frame member 18 with its outer ends turned in toward each other. i The side arms 19 of this frame are provided with lateral projections body flanges and the outer end of this frame is spread slightly forming stop shoulders 21 to limit the inward movement of the frame byvengaging the edges of the flanges and this outer end is shaped to perform the function of a bail with aportion of its inturned ends of the bar removed as at 22 to permit theside arms to yield laterally for the purpose of withdrawing the projections 20 from the notches 14. and upon this beltb'ar of the frame I have mounted. a tubular ferrule or sleeve 23 for presenting a smooth 20 adapted to engage the notches 14 in the surface about which the end21 o'f the belt may be secured.

This sleeve is bar to permit the free ends of the bar to readily slide thereinto to permit the compression of the side arms of the frame.

loosely mounted on the bail The inner portions of these projections are tapered slightly a'sat 25-s0 as to cause thev side arms to compress automatically and cause the projections to snap into the openings 14 when the frame is forced into i position between the body flanges It will be noted that the recesses 14 are formed in the side flanges near their outer edges, by which construction the frame is positioned in the body of the buckle by causing its inner endZG, to slide along that portion 27 of the belt previously inserted, to be guided into position between the flange members beneath their inturned edges 1-3 until the projections snap into the open ings in the flanges whereby this end of the belt is firmly but releasably secured to the body of the buckle and may only be released by exerting a closing pressure upon the roughened laterally-projecting portions 28 of the side arms.

My improved buckle is extremely simple and practical in construction and by its use one end of the belt is retained in any desired adjusted position while the opposite end may be disconnectedfrom the-buckle at will without disturbing the belt adjustment, it being only necessary to press together the exposed or bail ends of the snap fastener frame to release the same from the buckle body and to push the frame back into the buckle body to cause it to automatically and securely engagethe body of the buckle. v

In some cases the buckle body is formed with curved sides as illustrated in Figure 5 in which case I cut the inturned flanges 13 and turn the cut portion inwardly to susceptible, the invention being defined and clalm.

I claim: Y

A belt buckle comprising a front plate with side *flang'es having inturned 'guide edges, a substantially U-shaped spring frame-bail member havinglateral projections adapted to engage openings in said side flanges with spring pressure, a portion of limited only by the terms of the appended said guide edges being folded inwardly to guide said frame tO ltS engagingposition,

and means in the buckle for holding the adjustable end of the belt.

In testimony whereofI afiixmy signature.

ALPHA H. METCALF. 

